Tight Upper back

ladyboom7

Hey guys, I am looking for some advice. I have been seeing a chiropractor for about 6 visits now and every time he is unable to pop the top half of my back due to it being super tight. Does anyone know of some tips of what I can do to fix this? As I am feeling a bit disappointed with each visit . I am only now starting a journey towards health and fitness, and going from completely sedentary lifestyle to being more active ( so far walking a mile a day)

Chieflrg

My best advice would be stop seeing a chiropractor.

The feeling of "tightness" almost always goes away with a couple weeks on it's own like clockwork.. I would also look into performing a well written resistance training if you are not already.

quiksylver296

My favorite upper back stretch is plow pose in yoga.

AnnPT77

I (and several friends) have had better results from our local large university's osteopathic manipulative medicine specialty clinic (i.e., actual medical musculoskeletal-specialist doctors), as compared with chiropractic. A well-credentialed massage therapist with a physical therapy or sports med specialty is another possible option. A good MT will not only do massage, but recommend stretches or self-massage suitable for your situation that you can do on your own. IMO, prefer MTs with strong education & experience and knowledge of functional anatomy/physiology; be skeptical of those with vague metaphysical theories about energetics, and crystals in the corners of their treatment space.

This is a rare case where I sort of disagree with Chieflrg. For me, some things have indeed gone away on their own, or with improving fitness, or via self-directed yoga/stretching/self-massage. Others were much more persistent, usually those arising from long-term postural problems, scar tissue, repetitive-motion stresses or the like. They went away, or at least improved, with focused treatment from professionals.

You mention having 6 treatments without success, but your description of the problem, how long you've had it, etc., is very limited, so I'm not sure what the situation is.

Ikeeptrying2

Assuming there's no major medical condition going on that is undetected, I also concur with Massage Therapy. Chiropractic has not made a major contribution but does help a little. My issue is more muscular than skeletal so it's really not the best strategy.

My upper back has been tight for decades and it goes back to posture and repetitive stress from certain motions I did for decades with my arms as a musician. Also, 30 years hunched over a desk all day long has been a detriment as well. It's extremely tight and often painful. Layers and layers of scar tissue have built up.

Much of the upper back tightness is a result from muscles in the front of my body pulling it forward (

Massage Therapy has been the only thing for me that has helped to at least pin point many of the issues. For me, massage therapy is 100% out of pocket so it's cost prohibitive long term. It does provide temporary relief and I have been given strategies to work on at home in between visits.

Certain stretches, foam rolling and using a small ball for my traps, deltoids & rhomboids is key for me.

There are others, but here is one that helps a lot. Tip.. Place the ball in a sock which gives you control as to where on your back you can place it while standing up. Especially those harder to reach places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l74Iay8yDw&ab_channel=CarolineJordan

springlering62

quiksylver296 wrote: »

My favorite upper back stretch is plow pose in yoga.

I do a variation of plow where I put my feet on the wall and push as hard as I can, with an emphasis on where it hurts.

It’s lovely.

I often spend shivasana in some variation of plow or deaf man’s pose.

Massage helps. Some of the Chinese foot massage places are amazing, and comparatively inexpensive for the time and quality of the service. Mine will add some back neck and shoulder time to the general foot and leg massage if I ask.

elfin168

how about gentle stretches, walking and heat or wheatpacks on the tight muscles. also check your posture.

sijomial

After 6 visits the chances of 7, 8 or 9 visits to the same chiropractor turning out any differently are pretty poor
Having said that not all chiropractors are the same or have the same skill levels.
(My biggest objection to typical chiropractic care is the frequency of treatments, makes me feel like a meal ticket rather than a patient!)

But just like like not all Chiroprators are the same you can say the same about alternatives healthcare providers. My medical insurance would only pay for Physiotheraphy when I had a chronic upper back tightness - completely ineffective. Single visit to a highly qualified and skilled Osteopath freed the locked joint.

But I've also had mixed results from sports massage, physio, chiropractic and osteopathic treatments for various conditions and injuries - some highly effective, some no use at all. Partly picking the right profession for the condition, partly different abilities within the same profession. My current Osteopath is so good I very rarely see him!

If you think it is a joint issue I'd recommend seeing an Osteopath, if you think it's muscular I'd recommend starting with massage therapy.

MikePfirrman

Tight upper back not responding and tired, in general, was how my wife's Fibromyalgia started. There are like 16 points of tenderness in Fibro and the ones on the neck and in between the shoulder blades become (in some like my wife) like hard rocks. Purewave massagers are cheaper and amazing. They sometimes can work out knots.

Massage, acupuncture, infrared heating pads and better diet all can help. If it continues to get worse, seek medical attention from a Functional medicine doc. There are acupressure mats that are cheap and fantastic. TENS helps some with tight spots too.

Another thing I'll mention is less known but scientifically proven to happen in some (I think more common in the US) -- calcification of soft tissue. Americans eat so much calcium and not enough Vit K2. Without K2, calcium goes indiscriminately into the body -- into soft tissue and blood vessels, causing calcification of the arteries. K2 is not the same thing as Vit K. It's an entirely different substance. It signals the body to put calcium in the bones where it belongs and not elsewhere. It's one of the few supplements I make sure I take daily, along with Omega 3s.

Look up soft tissue calcification and ossification on YouTube. Many learning channels for X-Ray technicians have actual pictures, X-Rays of it. You might have that going on (I think my wife did). But K2 can help reverse that over time.

MikePfirrman

Too late to edit, but also the Graston Technique is really gaining in popularity. My doc in Tucson is a Chiropractor and a Nurse Practitioner. He uses Graston on patients that have soft tissue issues or tightness. Essentially, it's a dull blade that they run along areas to break up soft tissue adhesions. I've never had it and neither has my wife, but it is very effective for people that aren't responding well to chiropractic.

@Ikeeptrying2 - that technique in your video is similar to what my wife's first holistic doc recommended, except he used these things that looked like large superballs. I know others that use lacrosse balls too. Very good video.

RashadLavelle

I had this for a while when doing resistance training with dumbbells. Yoga especially the child pose helped a lot.

kshama2001

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Too late to edit, but also the Graston Technique is really gaining in popularity. My doc in Tucson is a Chiropractor and a Nurse Practitioner. He uses Graston on patients that have soft tissue issues or tightness. Essentially, it's a dull blade that they run along areas to break up soft tissue adhesions. I've never had it and neither has my wife, but it is very effective for people that aren't responding well to chiropractic.

...

My physical therapist has been doing Graston for my golfer's elbow, which is indeed better, but I'd been attributing that to the topical dexamethasone (a corticosteroid) instead. I hate these multiple treatments - too many variables!

FWIW, my PT says I have "gritty fascia"

kshama2001

I agree with the recommendations to see another chiro, or a massage therapist. If you want to do yoga and are new to it, start off with "gentle / beginner / restorative" or descriptions along those lines.

No matter what you decide, I recommend a foam roller. I love mine!

springlering62

kshama2001 wrote: »

FWIW, my PT says I have "gritty fascia"

That’s odd that you say that. I sometimes feel like I have grit or sand inside my hip joints. I can feel it kinda grinding roughly.

Theoldguy1

First I would see a medical professional to determine if the pain is muscular or skeletal related. Absent a specific injury if you are sedentary individual in a developed country poor posture is most likely the root cause of your pain.

If you want to do some research on your own, check out Bob and Brad, The Most Famous Physical Therapists on the Internet. They are 2 PTs with about 60 years experience between them and they have 100's of free videos explaining muscular and skeletal pain and solutions. Here is a sample for upper back pain (many more available if you Google):

https://youtu.be/mH6s-tvD_JA


Their channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTe0LsfEbpkDpgrxKAWbRA

JintheSouth

I have to agree with massage therapy. It seemed no matter how much I stretched my back and shoulders would always be tight. My massage therapist would always tell me how tight my shoulders were whenever I’d see her.

Swedish massage is very relaxing. Hopefully you can get someone with a heavy hand to really work out the kinks. Deep tissue massage may help as well.

If you don’t want to go in person due to covid, there are plenty of massagers on amazon that targets the back. However, if there is an underlying injury, I would suggest discussing with your doctor first.